Clothes-line



( -No Model.)

H. E. PERGI AL.

GLOTHES LIN ,1 T0.446,007. Patented Feb.-l0, 1891.

UNITED STATES A'rENr Orrrcn.

lEIERBERT E. PEROIVAL, OF OKLAHOMA, OKLAHOMA TERRITORY, ASSIGNOR TOEDMUND CONVERSE, OF XVORCECTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

CLOTH ES-LIN E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 446,007, dated February10, 1891..

Application filed March 29, 1890. Serial No. 345,906. (No model.)

T to whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERBERT E. PERCIVAL, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Oklahoma City, in the Indian Territory,

haveiuvented anew and useful Improvement in Clothes-Lines, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1represents a section of a clothesline, showing the method of attachingthe clothing thereto. Fig. 2 represents one of the links forming thechain with the sliding jawcompressing rings placed in the center of thelink. Figs. 3 and 4 represent a link of the chain of which the line iscomposed, but with the sliding rings both at one end of the holding-jawsand with a ring at each end of the holding-jaws, respectively.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the different figures.

My present invention relates to certain im provements in theclothes-line forming the subject of the Letters Patent granted to me onthe th day of December, 1889, No. l16,85 t, to which reference is hereinmade.

The clothes-line forming the subject of my present invention consists ofa chain composed of a series of links formed of elastic wire, which isbent into a link havingopenings or apertures A A, through which thecorner or a section of the clothing is passed, and also having wiresarranged parallel to each other, forming holding-jaws, between which theclothing is drawn and by which it is sustained. In these respects it issimilar to the clothes-line described in the Letters Patent abovereferred to. In that patent, however, the parallel wires were fastenedtogether in the center of the link, thereby forming in each link twopairs of holding-jaws, one upon each side of the center, the clothingbeing drawn into the space between one pair of jaws from one of theopenings at one end of the link and into the space between the otherpair of holding-jaws from the opening at the opposite end of the link,the length of each of the holding-jaws being fixed and de termined bythe distance between the openin g at the end of the link and the centralfastening of the two parallel wires.

The form of the links in the clothes-line hereinafter described andrepresented in the accompanying drawings is similar to the form of thelinks forming the lines described in the patent above referred to; butin my pres ent form of improved line I do not fasten the parallel wiresat the center of the link, nor are the ends of the wire of which thelink is made caused to meet at the center of the link, as represented inFig. 2 of the drawings, forming a part of the Letters Patent No.416,854. The ends of the wire forming the link are caused to meet at oneof the openings, preferably at the center of the opening, and they 6 5are united by a sleeve 13, which is soldered to the ends of the wires.This leaves the space between the openings A A free from any joint orunion of the ends of the wire. To the parallel wires and between theinner ends of the openings A A, I apply one or more sliding rings EE,two being shown in the drawings. Each of these rings has ahole throughit of the size of the combined rods or wires a 1) between the points 0D, so that the wires ab are closely heldtogether, as they are inclosedin the rings E E. The rings are capable of sliding freely from one endto the other of the space between 0 and D. The rings can be placed inthe center of the link, as shown in Fig. 2, forming of the parallelwires a and Z) two distinct sets of holding-jawsF and G. The rings canbe placed both at the same end of the parallel wires, as shown in Fig.8, thereby forming one long jaw extending from the rings E E to theopening at the opposite end of the link. Thus the length of theholding-jaws can be varied, as will be obvious, and in case it isrequired to pinch the parallel Wires forining the holding-jaws closelytogether close to 9 the openings or apertures, and thereby reduce theelasticity ofthe jaws by reducing their length, it is accomplished bysliding the rings E E close up against the openings, as represented inFig. at.

I do not confine myself to the precise form of openings or even to theprecise form or method of bending the wire to form a link, as such canbe greatly modified without departing from the essential feature of myinvention. I c

What I claim as my invention, and desire to'secure by Letters Patent, is

tween which the clothing is seized, and a ring placed upon said parallellongitudinal wires and capable of sliding thereon, whereby the wires arepinched closely together, as and for the purpose specified.

Dated at Oklahoma City, Indian 'lerritory, this 5th day of February,1890.

HERBERT E. PEROIVAL.

WVitnesses;

H. H. HOWARD, D. I-IoLLINesWoRTH.

links linked together in the form of a chain,

each of said links having openings at its ends,

through which the clothing to be held is 5 passed, and having said openportions of the link connected by two parallel wires, and a sliding ringplaced upon said parallel wires, by which they are held together,substantially as described.

2. A clothes-line provided with longitudinal parallel Wires forming theholding-jaws be- 1. A clothes-line composed of a series of l i

